Improvement in stock-cars



J. MILLER. Stock-Oar.

Patented April 23,- 1878.

flttorheys PETERS. PHDTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D c

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JACOB MILLER, OF WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN STOCK-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,854 dated April 23,1878; application filed March 27, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB MILLER, of Washington, in the county ofWashington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Stock- Cars; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a cattle-car, in such manner that it may readily be converted into asingle or double deck car, as will be hereinafter more particularlydescribed.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, Figure1 represents a side, and Fig.2 a bottom, view of my invention.

In the figures, A, B, and 0 represent the frame of an ordinarycattle-car, A being the top, 0 being the bottom, and B B being the endposts, which support the top at its ends. H represents the bottom of theupper deck. This bottom is movable, and is raised and lowered by meanswhich will be hereinafter described.

a and b represent metallic bars, which have their close ends pivoted tothe posts B B a short distance apart, while their loose or outer endsare pivoted to a bar, 0, as represented. The bars a and b cross eachother, and the three form a strong lever-power for raising and loweringthe bottom H.

A bar runs across from the two end bars 0, at each end of the car, fromthe point where the two bars a and 0 meet, and upon this bar the bottomH is made to rest, so that by raisin g or lowering the bar 0 the bottomH is raised or lowered. When the bars 0 o are made to assume a verticalposition, the bottom H is raised until it fits snugly against the top Aof the car-body. When the bars 0 c assume an angle of about forty-fivedegrees with the bottom 0, then the bottom H is lowered about half-way,and the car can then be used as a double-decker.

The levers or bars 00 are operated and held in place in the followingmanner To the lower ends of said bars 0 c are secured the chains 01 (I.These chains pass under the lower floor or bottom (1, and are secured attheir inner ends to the shafts G G.

G, G, and F are three shafts, which lie under the bottom A, crosswise ofthe car, and which are supported in suitable frame-work made for them.The center shaft, F, is provided with a gear-wheel, 11, while the othertwo shafts are provided with gear-wheels 0 0, which work into wheel 12.Upon the outer end of shaft F is a ratchet-wheel, as, into which catchesa pawl, m. The shaft F is so formed at one end that a handle may heapplied to it forrevolvin g it. When the shaft F is revolved in onedirection, the chains are wound around the shafts G G, whereby thelevers or bars 0 c are raised, and with them the bottom H; but whenrevolved in the opposite direction, the levers are lowered, and, ofcourse, with them the said bottom H.

Thus it will be seen that by simply revolving shaft F the car isconverted, through the various connections, into either a single or adouble deck car. The ratchet and pawl, of course, hold the parts rigidlyin any desired position.

What. I claim is- In combination with the adjustable and movable bottomH, the bars a, b, and c, and their connection with the chains d d, theshafts G G, and shaft F, with their wheels, all operating as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JACOB MILLER.

Witnesses:

CLARK RIGGLE, F. G. KAMMERER.

